The Gift Series Part One: So Far
by LL r Lobsters
Summary: The first part of a three part series. The story of Luke and Lorelai's first Christmas and how Lorelai comes to say I Love You in the future. LL
1. So Far

**The Gift Series – Part One**

**So Far**

Lorelai Gilmore spun in the snow, letting her arms flail out beside her and lifting her face to the sky.

The first snowfall had been the night before, while she and Luke had been sleeping. It had snuck up on her and when she had awoken, she had made her grouchy boyfriend get dressed and walk in the snow with her. Of course, he had every right to be grumpy, seeing how it was four o'clock in the morning.

The loose top layer of snow at her feet danced upward into the air, where it fluttered about her ankles. When she stopped, the small flakes drifted loftily back to the ground, as if the life had suddenly left them.

Lorelai had the hugest smile on her face for how early it was. The snow made her cheerful, even though she should have been angry with it. Why, you might ask. According to Ms. Gilmore, it had come two weeks later than normal and she had almost thought it wouldn't come at all. A perfectly logical reason to be upset. But the sparkling and glistening of the small shards of ice had entranced her, and there was no way she could remember the feelings she had had before this warm, tingly one inside of her right now.

With a satisfied sigh, Lorelai spun once more and made her way to her boyfriend's restaurant, the snow crunching its protest as she took each step.

Inside of the Diner, the warm air seemed to swirl about her and hug her. She removed her heavy snow jacket and hung it on a peg next to the door, and then proceeded to take a seat at the counter.

Luke was in the kitchen, making food. He really was the perfect man. He could cook, he was sweet, he was gentle, he found value in the word 'family' and best of all, he was absolutely great in bed.

This rightly deserved a delightful _Dirty!_ in Lorelai's mind.

She glanced about herself. The six-thirty a.m. group certainly was lively for this ungodly hour. They were laughing and jumping up and down. Perhaps the snow enchanted them as well.

When Lorelai turned back towards the counter, a tiny box wrapped in red wrapping paper sat in front of her. She stared at it a moment, curious and suspicious. On the top it said her name in Luke's familiar scrawl, so she lifted it into her palm. It was very light and purely adorable.

She placed it back on the counter and removed the paper encasing it. With a tiny tug, the top of the box was gone and inside laid a folded up piece of paper.

Lorelai cocked her head at this, stared at it for another moment, and then picked up the cube. When opened it read,

_Check the bench in the gazebo at ten pm._

That was all. It didn't say that it was from Luke (though she knew it was) and included no other information.

Lorelai was truly perplexed. Luke had never been so mysterious, so dark. It was sexy.

Lorelai tucked the paper into her purse along with the box, and folded her hands in front of her. She could see Luke in the kitchen again, as if he hadn't even moved.

When he came out, Lorelai was beaming. He gave her an apprehensive glance and then moved out to a table with three plates of food. He came back and smiled at her.

"Hi," was all he said. He leaned over the counter for their usual kiss, and when Lorelai copied his movement, she eagerly pressed her lips to his. It was no gentle greeting. It was ardent and fiery and when Lorelai pulled away, she left Luke still frozen in place.

Everyone was staring at them.

"What was that for?" Luke asked, fixing himself and standing upright.

Lorelai smiled devilishly at him and said throatily, "A thank you for last night." Her eyes were glittering.

Luke noticed that people were watching them and smiling. He blushed slightly and saw Lorelai's smile stretch further. "What? A thank you for cleaning your pipes? No problem."

Lorelai's eyes widened, and she glared at him. But in seconds the glare became a smirk and she said in a low, gritty voice, "_Dirty_."

Luke shook his head at that and grunted in frustration at the amused leers he was receiving from many of the customers.

"Coffee? To go?" he asked sullenly.

"Oh, Luke, you hurt me!" Lorelai mocked. "I would like coffee, an omelet with jack cheese, coffee, a side of fries, and, oh, coffee." She grinned up at him, ignoring the frown he was shooting at her.

"You do know that omelets and fries are for two different times of day, right?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You usually eat fries for lunch or dinner. Not breakfast."

"Cause I care."

Luke sighed. "Right."

And with that he was gone, retreating into the kitchen where the stupid town of Stars Hollow couldn't smile at him knowingly and raise their eyebrows at him suggestively.

Lorelai swung her feet merrily, beaming at the people she caught glancing her way. Why shouldn't she let them see her happiness? If it made them happy too, then it was all for the better.

After eating, Lorelai stood and walked around to where Luke was positioned behind the counter. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, squeezing him with all of her might. He made strangling noises as if she was choking him, and she tried to pull away, her body language radiating that she was deeply offended. And then, not caring what the town thought, he pulled her to him and hugged her back, letting himself sink into the feeling of being in her arms.

She pulled away, smiling genuinely. With a peck on the lips, and a snatch of her coat, she was gone.

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That night, at ten o'clock, Lorelai wandered away from her house alone. The air was distinctly chillier and it turned her cheeks pink. She playfully blew air out in front of her to see the puff of smoke that would surely appear. She giggled childishly. It was fun to walk in the snow.

She found the gazebo in less than five minutes and checked under both benches. Taped to one of them was another package, barely bigger than the last. She opened it and two chocolate kisses feel to her feet, along with a note. She bent and retrieved them, opening the note first.

_Two chocolate kisses to remember one special night._

Lorelai sighed joyfully. Luke was the most wonderful man alive. Two Hershey's kisses to remember the two real kisses they had shared the night of the test run.

She opened one of the chocolates and popped it into her mouth, shoving the other into her pocket.

Was Luke still up?

The diner had one light on. Luke's silhouette could be seen sweeping the floor. With a small and almost inaudible squeal, Lorelai skipped over to the diner.

The bell jingled and Luke looked up. His face lightened immediately. He could never be happier to see anyone.

"Hey, Diner man. Thought I'd visit."

Lorelai pulled him to her as soon as he was close enough and kissed him deeply. He pushed her away slightly so that they could regain their composure and moved to the coffee machine.

"Want a cup?"

"No."

Luke froze and gave her an odd look. "Why?"

"Can't I just come to see you? Is that all you think I want? Coffee?"

She actually sounded upset. But Luke wasn't stupid. In the whole time he had been dating her, he didn't have much more to learn about her, but what he could, he did.

"Coffee?" he asked again.

Lorelai smirked and sat at the counter. "You bet."

"When are you leaving to go back to your house?"

Lorelai sipped from the large mug in front of her. "Soon. I was hoping you would come with me. It's really cold and lonely in my house during the winter. My bed isn't warm enough with just me." And then she let her mouth fall into a pout.

Luke grinned (which was indeed a rare sight) and said softly, "I couldn't want anything more."

Lorelai blushed. "Stop it. You're making me blush." But she still smiled up at coyly.

They walked home together, arms around each other.

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Lorelai woke up the next morning to find herself alone. Next to her, Luke had left a note taped to the pillow.

_Call my cell phone and wait for the voice mail to pick up._

Lorelai rather liked this game. Would there be more presents for her? She hoped so. She loved being pampered.

The first thing that greeted her when she went into the kitchen was the glorious smell of her boyfriend's coffee. Her curls bobbing around her face, she rushed to the liquid of life and poured herself a cup. The next thing she found was in the oven, being kept warm, was a plate covered with her favorite breakfast items.

Luke really was the perfect man.

After eating, Lorelai called Luke's cell phone. When his voice rang into her ear, she giggled. It sounded the way it did whenever he whispered in her ear when they were about to fall asleep. It made her feel warm and comforted and the most important thing in the world.

"_Check the icebox with the ice cream in Taylor's market."_

This was interesting.

Lorelai listened to the message a few times, trying to find hidden meanings. And she was obsessed with his voice. Who wouldn't be?

Lorelai went up to her bathroom and showered, and then set out for Doose's.

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Lorelai hesitantly crept into the market, glancing around herself. She felt like Luke had hidden her next gift here and wasn't supposed to. Like it was a secret. Or that she was on a secret mission to find the gift. Her imagination was having a field day.

Taylor eyed her warily from a corner of the store, but made no move to speak to her. He acted like there was a barrier around her that he couldn't breach.

That was weird. He was normally on her like a pack of dogs the minute she walked in. Not that she was complaining. Having Taylor off her back was spiritually cleansing. Or something like that.

She wasn't good with big words.

When she peered into the ice cream freezer, she couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. She searched everywhere. Mint Chocolate Chip. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Strawberry Cheesecake. Nothing.

"Taylor?" she called. He cringed but still met her next to the freezer. "I was told to look for something in here, but I can't find it. So you possibly know where it is?"

He frowned and it looked like he was pondering the consequences of his possible answers. "Well, I saw a certain business owner, who was not I, place something in this freezer."

"Well, where is it now?" she asked, mocking his tone.

"I didn't think a _freezer_ was the proper place to keep this…_thing_…so I moved it somewhere more appropriate." Lorelai cocked an eyebrow and he continued, "It's in the drinks refrigerator."

Lorelai smirked at him evilly and then went to the fridge. Buried at the bottom of the large frozen case was a bottle. A bottle of champagne. Lorelai smiled and grabbed the neck of the bottle, yanking it out of the cold. There was a note taped to the bottom.

_Something I dislike great will always remind us of a certain date._

Their first date. Mazie had made him drink champagne even though he said he hated it.

The most wonderful date ever.

And then she was off to the diner.

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In the diner, Lorelai flirted mercilessly and teasingly with Luke over the counter, not minding or caring that Luke was blushing and that all eyes were on them.

"So, we going anywhere tonight?" she asked, smiling up at him.

"Would you like to?"

"Yes."

"Then it's a date."

"Good." With a definite nod, Lorelai stood and kissed him goodbye. "By the way," she said as she leaned towards his ear. "You're getting _so_ lucky tonight."

Luke grunted before replying with a low and guttural, "Tease." His voice was gruff and didn't know if he was embarrassed or eager. It didn't matter.

"I'll be at the inn," she added as an afterthought as she exited through the door.

Luke glared at his customers. "What are you looking at?" he snapped.

They all started chuckling and whispering enthusiastically. It would be all over town by the time Luke went to pick her up.

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Boy, did he get lucky. He must have been the luckiest man in the entire world.

After their night of passion, Luke and Lorelai laid in each others arms in her bed, letting their breathing slow and return to normal. Luke was on his back and Lorelai on her stomach, half on top of him. Her head rested on his chest, her cheek pressed against him and her hair clouding his face. Her left hand was moving methodically over his lower stomach and her right was wrapped around his side, her arm curled underneath her. His left hand was moving very slowly and almost tantalizingly up and down her spine and his right hand was cupping her shoulder.

"Well," Lorelai said breathlessly, "that was intense."

"I can't agree more."

"Why are you so wonderful? It confuses me. Stupid perfection," she grumbled.

For a moment, Luke couldn't tell if she was joking. Frankly, she couldn't either.

In reply, Luke kissed the top of her head.

Lorelai giggled suddenly and vibrantly, pressing herself harder against him.

"What's so funny?" Luke asked into her curls.

"There was a funny noise inside of you." She giggled again, her breath tickling his chest. Luke chuckled.

"You're bizarre."

Lorelai twisted in his arms to look at her clock. 3:02 am. She glanced back up at him, smiling.

"I'm hungry."

"It's three o'clock in the morning. You should be asleep."

"Well, for one, whenever I close my eyes, a wonderful and vivid replay of what we just did flashes through my mind, so I can't sleep anyway _and_… I just used up so many calories in the past six hours, that it's like I haven't eaten for the past three days."

Luke rolled his eyes and she continued.

"I also know it's your favorite pastime."

"What is?"

"Feeding me. If you ever got the chance, I'm sure you would devote your life to feeding me and not care about anything else. Wait," she said suddenly, "that's already what you do!"

Luke sat up abruptly and Lorelai thought she might have offended him. Because of his movement, she was forced to roll off of him and onto her back, but not before throwing a thigh over his hair-roughened ones.

"I didn't say anything to offend, did I?" she asked cautiously.

He said nothing and instead slid his hand down her thigh, picking it up and putting it next to him. Lorelai watched him curiously as he stood and pulled on the sweatpants he kept next to the bed.

"I've seen you naked before, Luke. There's no point in hiding what you've got. Plus, I like to look at you."

"It's the middle of the night during _winter,_ Lorelai. It's freezing." He hadn't wanted to reply. He had wanted to remain silent to tease her, to confuse her. That hadn't gone as planned.

"Come back to bed, then." When he didn't reply instantly, she said swiftly, "Where are you going?"

This time he succeeded in ignoring her. Her blue eyes were large as they followed him around the bed and to the door. When he vanished, Lorelai quickly grabbed her robe (her Luke-shirt was at his place) and wrapped loosely around her body, then followed him.

Going down the stairs, Lorelai found that Luke was gone. He had disappeared.

"Luke?"

Silence.

She walked slowly into the kitchen only to find it empty as well. On the table there was a quickly scribbled note.

_Find the thing of my Father's I'm still touchy about._

The boat.

Lorelai slid into a few of the coats hanging in the foyer and a pair of her warmer boots. Then she trudged outside, into the now calm snow, and to her garage. Luke wasn't there, but when she turned the garage light on, she could see something glinting in the boat.

When she looked closely inside, Lorelai found two frames. They were old and rustic and antiquish. They were both metallic and brown, wires twisting and intertwining. One of the two frames was about five x eight inches. Inside of it was the paper Luke had used to write down the CDs he had to get. On the small frame, which was about three x five, was a copy of the Horoscope. There was also a not stuck in the bigger frame.

Lorelai felt her eyes water with tears. It was pathetic, true; but what Luke was doing made her feel special and loved. Yes. Loved.

The note said:

_We made a list of music in the middle of our first, long lovemaking night._

_There was also something about the horoscope that helped us into bed._

Lorelai hugged the frames to her chest, feeling something burn and tingle inside her.

Luke slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. He buried his face in her curls, inhaling the scent of the thick locks. Lorelai turned in his arms and stood on her toes to kiss him. All of her feelings, all of her love for him was reflected in that kiss.

"Thank you," she mumbled against his mouth.

He nuzzled her neck, kissing the soft skin there. "I was supposed to give them to you this evening, but you kept me up all night and I couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Take me inside," she whispered, just as he started to kiss down her neck to her collar bone.

They stumbled inside, where Luke laid the frames on the kitchen table and then stripped her. She pushed the jacket he had put on over his shoulders and down his arms until it dropped to the floor.

"Carry me," Lorelai encouraged breathlessly.

"I am not going to carry you upstairs," Luke replied, his mouth on her shoulder.

"Pleeeeeeaaaase? Come on… You know you want to."

"I know I don't want to."

"Luuuuuuuuuuke… Just this once. You'll never ever have to do it again."

Lorelai gazed up at his now raised head, pouting. Luke rolled his eyes and bent down, one arm sweeping her off her feet at her knees and the other supporting her back. She looped her arms around his neck and they began kissing again. At the base of the stairs, Lorelai squealed in protest and Luke broke away.

"What?" he asked irritably.

"The presents."

"Why?"

"I want them in the bedroom to inspire and remind us."

Luke sighed and carried her to the table, where she grabbed the framed papers and hugged them to herself.

"To the sex, Burger Boy!" she called gaily, grinning and swinging her feet slightly.

"You're impossible."

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The next day, Lorelai walked around in a daze, daydreaming of Luke. At lunchtime, she was wandering through the kitchen and almost ran into a Sookie who was carrying a large pot of boiling soup.

"Hey!!! Lorelai! Why are you so out of it today?" Sookie exclaimed.

Lorelai patted Sookie's back and took a sip of the cup of coffee she was carrying. "I'm sorry, Sook. Last night I had the most wonderful time with Luke. I just keep thinking about what's gonna happen today. I can't wait to see him."

Sookie noticed that Lorelai's blue eyes were particularly bright and had been noticing they had been growing clearer. She had been much happier ever since she had started dating Luke and the curly haired woman had seemed to be in love. Not to mention, Luke had been much more cheerful as of late, which was weird.

"Hey, Lorelai, can I talk to you?"

Lorelai nodded, frowning. "Sure, Sook. What's the matter?"

Sookie placed the pot on the stove and took her best friend's hand. They ended up on the front porch and Lorelai was hit by a vivid memory.

"_I thought there was a moment."_

"_There was! There was a moment!" Luke stepped towards her, but she stepped back. "What are you doing?"_

"_Will you just stand still?"_

Sookie touched Lorelai's arm and she refocused on the present.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Luke."

"Okay."

"How long have you guys been dating?"

"Almost seven months," Lorelai answered without having to think about it.

Sookie paused and Lorelai felt like her friend was nervous to continue. And Sookie was quite nervous. This was dangerous terrain and Lorelai was often touchy about such subjects.

"Sookie?"

"Have you thought about your feelings yet?"

"My feelings?"

"Yeah. You know, do you like him, care for him, lust for him, want him…" _Love him_ Sookie added silently.

"Of course I've thought about them. Especially lately. What are you getting at? Why are you so concerned?"

"Well, you've been dating a while. I think that maybe you should ask yourself some questions."

"You're acting like you're my mother."

"Lorelai, you're my best friend, besides Jackson, and I love you and I want what's best for you. I don't want to see you get hurt and I don't want to see Luke get hurt."

"You think I'm going to hurt Luke?"

"No! That's not what I meant! I know he'll get hurt if you don't admit your feelings for him. You gotta ask yourself those important questions like 'would I ever live with him' and 'could we have kids together' and 'do I want to see him everyday for the rest of my life'."

"How do you know I'm ready?"

Lorelai had wanted to understand her feelings for Luke, but they were so confusing. She wanted to tell him everything and she wanted him to tell her back. But she was a little scared. She had never been 'all in' before. Even with Max. She had still been terrified and she didn't think of it as such a big thing at the time. But when her mother told her at her bachelorette party that before she herself got married that she put on her wedding dress every night, Lorelai had realized that marriage was huge. Marriage was the ultimate goal. Marriage was _it_.

"I can see it, Lorelai. You've been happier, you smile more, you laugh more. When you're with him… I can't explain it with words."

"I appreciate it, Sookie. I do. But I can take care of myself."

"Fine, Lorelai," Sookie conceded, giving up. "Just…think about it, okay?"

Sookie stood and retreated to the kitchen, leaving Lorelai alone.

Could she imagine spending the rest of her life with Luke?

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A/N: Next part will be up in at least a week. Review?


	2. Author's Note II

Okay, I know I said the next part would be up in at least a week, but I got grounded for said week and couldn't type the next part. Unfortunately for you guys, I hate writing my stories on paper because ink annoys me and I can never get in a comfortable position to write AND I have to retype everything. So, Ive only written the first few pages and they might suck a little and because I spent all my computer time on reading the forums (Fanbolt, the best forums for Gilmore Girls, cause we're cool) and because there were like 22 new pages worth, I have to type them tomorrow (a day I have off of school, which means I can sneak on the comp for more time.). You'll get the new part in the next couple of days, plus a couple new stories (all JavaJunkies). I didn't get as many reviews as I had hoped, but I guess I'll have to learn to deal with that. I'm not the best GG writer, which is probably why. Please, tell me what you guys think! Alright, I'll talk to you all soon, and if you want to talk to me in a different way than reviewing, my AIM is AkurahTenoh. I love you guys and sorry for the wait!


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